A REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

May 3, 2011

The Lake County Board of County Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, May 3, 2011 at 9:00 a.m., in the Board of County Commissioners’ Meeting Room, Lake County Administration Building, Tavares, Florida.  Commissioners present at the meeting were:  Jennifer Hill, Chairman; Leslie Campione, Vice Chairman; Sean Parks; and Jimmy Conner. Commissioner Welton G. Cadwell was not present.  Others present were:  Darren Gray, County Manager; Sanford A. “Sandy” Minkoff, County Attorney; Wendy Taylor, Executive Office Manager, County Manager’s Office; Neil Kelly, Clerk of Court; Barbara F. Lehman, Chief Deputy Clerk, County Finance; and Courtney Vincent and Shannon Treen, Deputy Clerks.

INVOCATION and pledge

Pastor John Barham from the First United Methodist Church in Tavares gave the Invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Agenda update

Commr. Hill stated that there was an Addendum 1A which would be added under the County Manager’s Consent Agenda.

Mr. Darren Gray, County Manager, requested to move Tab 18 under the County Manager’s Departmental Business.

Mr. Sandy Minkoff, County Attorney, asked to add under his Business a request for a Closed Session on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 11:00 a.m.

On a motion by Commr. Conner, seconded by Commr. Parks, and carried unanimously by a 4-0 vote, the Board moved to add Addendum 1A and the request for a Closed Session to the agenda.

MINUTE APPROVAL

On a motion by Commr. Conner, seconded by Commr. Parks, and carried unanimously by a 4-0 vote, the Board approved the Minutes of March 15, 2011 (Special Joint Meeting) as presented.

CITIZEN QUESTION AND COMMENT PERIOD

Mr. Vance Jochim, a resident of Tavares who writes a blog called FiscalRangers.com, addressed the board stating that the staff negotiated the maintenance agreement with the Motorola regular system which saved around $150,000 and hoped it was in the budget this year.

*****

Mr. James Bible, from Showcase Homes, addressed the Board regarding Tab 16 stating that he thought the ordinance would include a provision for the prepayment of transportation impact fees.

Commr. Hill asked if the ordinance included transportation.

Mr. Minkoff answered “no” and stated that the ordinance, as written, only included education and since the Tab was for approval to advertise, it could be pulled, the ordinance redone and it could be advertised that way.

Commr. Campione asked if it would delay the process.

Mr. Minkoff answered “no.”

Commr. Hill stated that they would pull it off the agenda so they could have a further discussion about it.

CLERK OF COURTS’ CONSENT AGENDA

On a motion by Commr. Conner, seconded by Commr. Campione and carried unanimously by a 4-0 vote, the Board approved the Clerk of Courts’ Consent Agenda, Items 1 through 2, as follows:

List of Warrants

Request to acknowledge receipt of list of warrants paid prior to this meeting, pursuant to Chapter 136.06 (1) of the of the Florida Statutes, which shall be incorporated into the Minutes as attached Exhibit A and filed in the Board Support Division of the Clerk's Office.

Southwest Florida Water Management District’s CAFR

Request to acknowledge receipt of CD Copy of the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010 and a printed copy of the District’s Annual Local Government Financial Report for the Fiscal Year 2009-2010 (AFR).

COUNTY MANAGER’S CONSENT AGENDA

Commr. Parks stated, regarding Tab 4, in the future when they surplus vehicles, he would like to see additional backup data such as the mileage to tell how much a vehicle was used and whether they needed it in the first place.  He noted, regarding Tab 12, he would also like additional backup data such as a map or description of the location of the project, as well as a summary of the value they were receiving for what was being spent on the project.

Commr. Conner requested to pull Tab 11 and move it under the County Manager’s Departmental Business for discussion.

On a motion by Commr. Conner, seconded by Commr. Parks and carried unanimously by a vote of 4-0, the Board approved the County Manager’s Consent Agenda, Tabs 3 through 14 and Addendum 1A, pulling Tab 11, as follows:

County Manager

Request to fill one (1) Equipment Operator I position within Public Works/Road Operations Division. (The fiscal impact is $33,731.)

Fiscal and Administrative Services

Request that the Board (1) declare the items on the attached list(s) surplus to County needs, (2) authorize the removal of all of the items on the attached lists from the County’s official fixed asset inventory system records, and (3) authorize the Procurement Services Director or designee to sign vehicle titles.

Growth Management

Request for approval to realign the EECBG fund budget in accordance with U.S. Department of Energy approval. Approved budget change request. (No fiscal impact).

Request for approval of Memorandum of Understanding with Orange County to address service and infrastructure impacts of the Lake Apopka Sound PUD. (No Fiscal Impact).

Public Resources

Request to accept a State Library of Florida grant to support upgrade of information technology infrastructure at County libraries via approval and signature of grant agreements and certifications, and approval to receive unanticipated revenue. The fiscal impact is the acceptance of $145,762 in grant funding and subsequent expenditure of $145,813 (no matching fund requirement). Resolution No. 2011-60.

Public Safety

Request for approval and execution of the Resolution No. 2011-61 authorizing the receipt of funding from the Lake County Department of Health to the Lake County General Fund to conduct a Mass Prophylaxis Tabletop Exercise and 800 MHz Tactical Communications Drill. No county matching funds are required.

Request for approval of the Amendment to Motorola Service Agreement maintenance contract for the Countywide Radio System. A savings of $81,120.00 will begin October 1, 2011.

Public Works

Request to approve and accept the attached list of public right of way deeds that have been secured in conjunction with roadway and/or stormwater projects. There is no fiscal impact. Commission Districts (1, 2, 3).

Request for authorization to award #6860B Washington Avenue Area Stormwater Retrofit Project No. 2011-04, Bid No. 11-0016, to Allstate Paving, Inc., in the amount of $611,596.10, and to encumber and expend funds in the amount of $611,596.10 from the Stormwater Infrastructure - Construction/Washington Avenue Drainage Improvements Fund. Fiscal impact is $611,596.10. Commission District 5.

Request to accept Resolution No. 2011-62 to receive unanticipated revenue for fiscal year 2010-2011 in the amount of $11,835 as reimbursement for damages to a vehicle as a result of a traffic accident. Fiscal impact is $11,835,

Request for approval and signature on Resolution No. 2011-63 authorizing the posting of “No Parking" signs on Dixie Avenue (5869A) and Harlem Avenue (5869B) at Wall Street, in the Eustis area, Section 1, Township 19, Range 26, Commissioner District 4. No Fiscal Impact.

Addendum 1A

Request from Fiscal and Administrative Services to approve the use of Florida State Contract No. 863-000-10-1 and the Florida Sheriff’s Association contract 11/13-05-0120 for the purpose of replacement tires for County vehicles approved in the yearly budget process. Expenditure estimated at $70,000.00 annually utilizing various funds.

COUNTY ATTORNEY’S CONSENT AGENDA

Commr. Campione questioned the title of the ordinance under Tab 15 since capital facilities was such a broad area and noted that it should include education, transportation, parks and recreation.  She commented that the purpose of the ordinance stated “the committee was created to review, evaluate and make recommendations to the Board on ways to fund transportation and educational infrastructure and facilities” and added that her impression was that it was limited to those two areas.

Mr. Minkoff stated that it was written to discuss any capital facilities issues and was not limited to a specific area.

Commr. Hill noted that it appeared that the ordinance indicated a new committee was being created along with new duties instead of just broadening the impact fee committee to include all aspects.

Mr. Minkoff stated that the actual ordinance itself was broad enough to include all capital facilities; however, they would correct the staff summary before advertising.  He added that the ordinance was not a dramatic change from the existing ordinance; it was just clarifying that it included all capital facilities.  He also noted that the intention was to transition the existing committee into this new committee.

Commr. Campione opined that the committee could bring reports back to the Board from time to time on specific areas; that way it would limit the scope so it was not such an insurmountable task.

Commr. Parks stated that the committee was going to focus primarily on transportation over the next six months.

Commr. Hill asked if they could make changes that day and still advertise the ordinance.

Mr. Minkoff answered that they could make any necessary changes that day since it had not been advertised yet.

Commr. Campione noted that if the summary was revised, then the ordinance itself was fine.

Commr. Hill stated, regarding Tab 16, she thought they had already approved the credit system for transportation.

Commr. Campione explained that they had addressed the credits, but not the prepayment and added that it was requested that they handle the prepayment of transportation impact fees the same as the school impact fees.  She opined that they needed to get data from staff so they knew exactly where those lots were and how much money had already been used for projects in those districts.

Mr. Gray agreed and stated that his staff could pull that information and bring it back to the Board.

Commr. Hill asked if another ordinance would need to be created that dealt with just transportation.

Mr. Minkoff responded that in order to not hold this one up, it would be better to approve the advertisement, let the staff bring back the information and then at the Board’s direction, they could prepare a separate ordinance.

On a motion by Commr. Campione, seconded by Commr. Parks, and carried unanimously by a vote of 4-0, the Board approved the County Attorney’s Consent Agenda, Tabs 15 through 17 as follows:

Request for approval to Advertise the Ordinance renaming the Impact Fee Committee as the Capital Facilities Advisory Committee.

Request for approval to Advertise Ordinance amending Section 22-11, Lake County Code, to allow for the conversion of prepaid educational impact fees to educational impact fee credits.

Request from the County Attorney for approval of the Third Amendment to the Lease Agreement Between Lake County and Stephen VanDellen, Trustee, for Health Department Space. Fiscal Impact $46,385.00.

firefighter’s appreciation month

On a motion by Commr. Conner, seconded by Commr. Parks, and carried unanimously by a vote of 4-0, the Board approved and executed Proclamation No. 2011-64 declaring May 2011 to be “Lake County Firefighters Appreciation Month.”

Commr. Hill read the proclamation in its entirety and presented it to Chief John Jolliff and Ms. Tara Sullivan from the Muscular Dystrophy Association in Central Florida.

Ms. Sullivan stated that Lake County had approximately 1300 members that depended on their services and commented that the support of the Lake County Fire Rescue was unbelievable and much appreciated.

employee awards

Ms. Mary Hoffman, Employee Services Manager, presented the following employee awards:

FIVE YEARS

Anthony Bresciani, Firefighter/EMT (not present)

Public Safety/Fire Rescue

 

Rebecca Foley-Kearney, Children’s Services Manager

Community Services/Health & Human Services

 

David Rammelkamp, Maintenance Specialist

Facilities Development & Management

 

John Yang, Telecommunications Specialist

Information Technology/Telecommunications

 

TEN YEARS

Jose Bermudez Sanchez, Assistant Veterans Service Officer (not present)

Community Services/Veterans Services

 

William Brannen, Mechanic/Welder/Fabricator (not present)

Fleet Management

 

Mark Peck, Senior Maintenance Specialist

Facilities Development & Management

 

TWENTY YEARS

Mr. Jim Appoloney, Facilities Maintenance Manager, presented the following employee award, commenting briefly about his service to the County:

Norman Hurlburt, Energy Management Supervisor

Facilities Development & Management

 

Mr. Jim Stivender, Public Works Director, presented the following employee awards for twenty-five years and thirty years, commenting briefly about their service to the County:

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS

James Bridgewater, Biological Technician

Public Works/Funding & Production

 

THIRTY YEARS

Eric Cotsenmoyer, Mosquito & Aquatic Plant Management Director

Public Works/Funding & Production

 

EMPLOYEE OF THE QUARTER

Chief John Jolliff presented the following employee award, commenting briefly about her service to the County:

Laura Nichols, Systems Database Manager

Public Safety/Communications Technologies

roundabout at cr561 and cr455

Commr. Conner expressed concerns about the proposed roundabout at CR561 and CR455, adding that the total cost would be just under $1.1 million, and he would like to use that money for other needed projects.  He stated there was not a need for the roundabout in such a rural area, and he did not support it.

Commr. Hill commented that they were not building for today’s traffic; they were building for future traffic.

Mr. Stivender stated that they completed a study on CR561 with the City of Astatula and came up with two alternatives: turn lanes or a roundabout.  He related that they decided on a substantially sized roundabout, similar to the ones in The Villages.  He noted that they received a federal safety grant from the Department of Transportation (DOT), and the cost for the project was estimated high to alleviate the need for the County to have to pay any difference.  He added that the County’s engineers anticipated a lower cost, and they planned to stay well below the estimated numbers.

Commr. Campione asked about the cost of the turn lanes.

Mr. Stivender answered that it would cost almost $60,000 more because the intersection would need to be raised up and re-graded.  He added that after constructing the turn lanes, they would need to look at how the traffic operated to see if the intersection warranted a traffic light; but with the roundabout, there would not be a need for a traffic light because there would always be a flow of traffic and they considered that the safer option.

Commr. Parks asked if they could do any temporary safety improvements at minimal costs.

Mr. Stivender responded that there really was not an alternative for a short-term fix.

Commr. Conner opined that there were alternatives that could be done, like installing flashers or slow-down strips, and added there had been relatively few accidents in that area.

Mr. Stivender noted there had been 14 accidents in the last four years and agreed that the project was not a high priority; it just fit nicely within the parameters of the grant.

Commr. Parks asked if the state funds could be used towards other projects instead, such as the Hancock Road extension in South Lake.

Mr. Stivender answered that they could apply for other projects if the Board did not feel comfortable with that one; however they would lose that project and would probably never be able to apply for it again.

Commr. Hill asked what the next step would be if they decided not to do the roundabout.

Mr. Stivender responded that they would just withdraw their request and added that they would move forward with installing flashing beacons in that area.

Mr. T.J. Fish, Executive Director of the Lake-Sumter Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), stated that the roundabout project was the better approach to the intersection because it was safer and in the long term, more cost efficient.  He added that the MPO would be presenting a list to the MPO Board of the top 10 intersections in the area that needed roundabouts rather than signalized intersections, so it was possible that the roundabout construction for that area would continue.  He commented that the MPO staff fully endorsed that roundabout.

Commr. Hill asked if they could pull this item until they received additional information.

Mr. Stivender stated that they could pull it and postpone it since they did not have the money yet.

Commr. Hill stated that since there was a safety concern for the area, she wanted to make sure it was addressed and corrected.

Commr. Campione commented that this area was not a high priority and they should focus on other priorities.

On a motion by Commr. Conner, seconded by Commr. Parks, and carried by a vote of 3-1, the Board denied the request to approve LAP Agreement and supporting Resolution between Lake County and FDOT for design of a roundabout at CR561 and CR455.

Commr. Hill voted against the motion to deny it.

PRESENTATION

health care responsibility act

Ms. Dottie Keedy, Community Services Director, stated that staff had prepared information on indigent health care services provided by Lake County, particularly the Health Care Responsibility Act and Medicaid nursing home and hospitalization.

Ms. Allison Thall, Health and Human Services Director, showed a PowerPoint presentation regarding the Health Care Responsibility Act (HCRA) and the Medicaid Hospital/Nursing Home invoices.  She then read the purpose of HCRA and added that it covered emergency services provided either on an inpatient or outpatient basis.  She noted that in order to receive reimbursement, hospitals must meet minimum standards and added that all counties were required to participate in the HCRA program.  She noted there was a maximum financial obligation for reimbursement, which was currently just under $1.2 million for Lake County.  She stated that once the County received the HCRA application from the hospital, it was their responsibility to determine residency and eligibility and to notify the hospital and the patient of their determination.  She noted that once the hospital received notification that the patient was eligible, they submit the claim to the County, and the County was obligated to pay up to 45 days of the services at the Medicaid per diem rate for that particular hospital.  She then showed a slide for the budget, expenditures and applications and noted that the number of applications they received annually continued to climb, and about 25 percent were deemed eligible.  She reported that for the current fiscal year, they budgeted $225,000, and to date they were currently over expended by approximately $88,000 and anticipated a budget transfer of about $220,000 to complete the fiscal year.

Commr. Hill asked if any applicants were ever denied if the County had already gone over their allocation.

Ms. Thall replied “no” and added that they have never reached their maximum allocation, which was $1 million for healthcare.

Ms. Thall continued the presentation, stating that the Florida legislature required each county to pay a portion of the Medicaid costs associated with care and services rendered to their County’s eligible Medicaid recipients.  She added that the County paid 35 percent of the cost of services when the patient was in the hospital during day 10 through day 45, and Medicaid paid the cost for the first 10 days and any day after day 45.  She noted that the County’s contribution to nursing homes could not exceed $55 per client per month.  She related that the hospitals and nursing homes submitted claims to AHCA, the claims were sorted by county, and then each county would receive an invoice for their share of the cost.  She mentioned that the county of residency for the patients was defined by the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and noted that denials occurred if the recipient was not a Lake County resident or if they provided a post office box as their address.  She then showed a slide for the budget, expenditures and recipients, noting that the number of hospital and nursing home recipients continued to climb with about 80 percent of hospital claims and about 65 percent of the nursing home claims being approved.  She related that the Medicaid expenditures have remained within budget for the past four years, and they anticipated they would remain within budget for the balance of that fiscal year.

Mr. Minkoff added that there had been recent newspaper articles reporting that AHCA had billed 19 counties for millions of dollars for failure to pay Medicaid hospital or nursing home invoices and stated that Lake County was not included.  He related that he had sent the Board a memo regarding Florida Statute 409.915 and read subparagraph 6 stating that any county where there was a special taxing district or authority which would benefit from medical assistance programs, such as Medicaid, the Board could divide the financial responsibility proportionately amongst those districts, and they must pay those amounts to the County.  He added that they did some research and found there were two counties, Indian River and Broward, which had hospital districts and were paying those costs.  He noted that the intent of subparagraph 6 appeared that the residents would not be taxed twice for the same purpose and added that the statute would apply to both of the hospital districts in Lake County and recommended the Board discuss the issue with both hospital districts.

Commr. Campione commented there was a double taxation for Lake County residents because they were paying taxes that in turn reimbursed the hospitals for the County’s portion of the Medicaid costs, as well as paying a hospital district tax.  She noted that she had heard several arguments that this would create a hardship on the hospitals, but from a taxpayer standpoint, a proportionate amount of the hospital district tax money should be used to pay for the Medicaid costs that the County had to pay for.

Commr. Parks stated he thought they should move forward with discussions with the hospitals about paying that portion and asked if the hospital district tax money could be spent on primary preventative care, since that approach would end up saving the County more money.

Mr. Kenneth Mattison, President and Chief Executive Officer of Florida Hospital Waterman, stated that the challenge in healthcare was that the requirements of health care for those who were disadvantaged in the community far exceeded the reimbursement available to cover them. He reported that for fiscal year 2010, they had a shortfall of $16,697,017, meaning it cost the hospital more money to provide care than what they were reimbursed for.  He added that they were willing to collaborate to find better ways to fund health care for the indigent patients, and would be willing to help track the dollars spent on individual patients.

Commr. Hill mentioned that years ago they had received a federal grant to help them create a database that tracked a few major diseases to see how much money was being spent on those; however they did not continue with the database but it was something they could do again.

Commr. Campione stated she was more interested in pursuing other ways of providing health care and asked what ideas they had.

Mr. Mattison responded that they were currently exploring a number of ways to help improve the health status of the community and added that they started a Creation Health Initiative where they invited members of the community to come to the hospital to learn how to stay healthy, and although they charged a small fee, they found the community had been very receptive.  He related that even though their hospital received the funds from the Medicaid program, the hospital still had to pay a tax to the State for the privilege of participating in that program and noted that those tax dollars were used to help the State receive federal matching dollars to help pay for the program.

Mr. Phil Braun, Vice President, Corporate Compliance of Central Florida Health Alliance, clarified that there was not a double taxation because the purpose of the hospital district was to make up for all the shortfalls, not just the Medicaid program.  He stated that the reimbursement money they received from Tallahassee was used to help pay for the patients and to cover administrative costs to run the Medicaid program, but with the hospital district tax money, that money came directly to the hospitals so they knew exactly what the money was being used for.  He clarified that the two counties with hospital districts that was previously mentioned by the County Attorney were districts that actually ran and operated the hospitals and were most likely dependent districts.  He noted that the North Lake County Hospital District was an independent district with an elected board, and he felt the statute was not intended for their districts.  He added that the bigger issues were reducing the bill and making the residents healthier.

Commr. Campione opined that they first needed to work with the hospitals to track the patients that the County paid for that year and see which hospitals provided the treatment, so they would then know the exact fiscal impact for each hospital for their next discussion.

Mr. Gray mentioned that Commr. Cadwell sent him a letter, since he would not be in attendance that day, and conveyed that at a minimum he would like to initiate talks with the hospital districts with the end goal being to obtain help from the districts to cover the costs.

Commr. Conner commented he would like to see a three to five year history of which hospitals performed those services, because that would give enough information to be able to see a pattern and asked how long it would take to get that information.

Ms. Thall answered that she could have a one year history completed in 30 days and would then work on the three to five year history.

Mr. Gray added that during the 30 days, he and Mr. Minkoff could meet with hospital districts to start that discussion.

On a motion by Commr. Campione, seconded by Commr. Conner, and carried by a vote of 4-0, the Board approved for staff to come back in 30 days with a breakdown of which hospitals performed services for the invoices the County was required to pay over the last year.

operational performance audit for lake sumter ems

Mr. Gray stated that they almost had the scope for the Request for Proposal (RFP) completed and planned on sending out the RFP the following week.  He added that after reviewing proposals and conducting interviews, they should have a recommendation by the end of June or the first of July.  He noted that they established a back-up committee to review the proposals, which included himself, Mr. Jeremy Martin, Internal Audit Director for the Clerk’s Office, and they were currently looking for the third person.  He related that it was suggested to have someone from the Ocala Fire College on the committee for their expertise.

Commr. Campione asked if they had considered citizen appointees.

Mr. Minkoff replied that there was nothing wrong with doing that; however, the County normally used technical staff.

Commr. Conner stated that they needed to make this a business process, not a political process, and if they appointed someone, there was a chance that person would have a predetermined bias.

Mr. Gray noted that was just one option they were considering and would continue to come up with other recommendations to bring back to the Board.

Commr. Campione expressed concerns about how long the company would have to put their audit report together since they were looking at implementing it in October.

Mr. Gray noted that it would not be completed before October if they wanted it done right and added that the company would probably begin the study in August and would need three to four months to complete it and would bring the report back to the Board in the fall.  He stated that he and Mr. Minkoff had already met with Sumter County and had started the process of dividing up the assets, and he would also work with EMS to help develop their budget for next year as well as the restructure of the new EMS Board.

Commr. Parks added that the interviews were all audio taped, so any citizen could listen to those.

Mr. Minkoff noted that there would also be public meetings that citizens could attend.

The Board reached a consensus approving the proposed timeline for the operational performance audit and to have the recommendation for the third committee member brought before the Board for approval.

sales tax revenue bonds

Mr. Gray related that the County’s financial advisor recommended the sales tax revenue bonds be refinanced because rates had decreased, and they were looking at an estimated present value savings between $225,000 and $350,000.  He added that the new lender would be a bank, and bids would be solicited to obtain the best rate.

Mr. Gary Akers, Financial Advisor from First Southwest Company, noted they completed an analysis of the bonds since the interest rates decreased drastically and found that the net present value savings exceeded 10 percent of the outstanding amount, which was around $3,545,000.

Commr. Conner asked if he had looked at any other bonds, such as the bonds for the capital construction downtown.

Mr. Akers answered that they looked at refinancing those, but since they were issued in 2006 and had a 10 year call on them, those could not be called until 2016.

Commr. Conner questioned if the Finance Department recommended doing this.

Ms. Barbara Lehman, Chief Deputy Clerk, County Finance, answered “yes.”

On a motion by Commr. Conner, seconded by Commr. Parks , and carried by a vote of 4-0, the Board approved the request to refinance 2000 Sales Tax Revenue Bonds using bank financing.

true-up with covanta lake ii, inc.

Mr. Jim Stivender stated that when they closed out the year last year, they realized that Covanta came short in burning 1600 tons of the 163,000 tons they were required to burn as part of the contract.  He added that part of the reason for the shortage was because Covanta was down for some time in May 2010; therefore, the County received the garbage instead of it being sent to the incinerator.  He related that after they reviewed the numbers, they came up with a settlement of $48,500 in the County’s favor to close out last year, and they recommended approval to move forward with that.

On a motion by Commr. Campione, seconded by Commr. Conner, and carried by a vote of 4-0, the Board approved the FY 2010 True-Up with Covanta Lake II, Inc.

remove barricades on sullivan road

Mr. Jim Stivender stated that the City of Minneola was working on a site plan for a paintball facility on Sullivan Road, and the project engineer had send a request to the County to remove the barricade at that location allowing traffic to route directly from US 27 to the paintball facility.  He added that the barricade had been in place since the summer of 2006 because of complaints from the residents about through traffic in their neighborhood.

Commr. Hill commented that she felt Sullivan Road was unsafe, since there were never any improvements made to it and noted there were other routes to take to get to the facility.

Commr. Conner noted that Sullivan Road was narrow and hilly, but he would not consider it to be unsafe.

Mr. Stivender mentioned that there would not be a high enough volume of traffic to impact the site or create a problem for the road.  He added that there were other accesses, but the request was asking for direct access.

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Conner, and carried by a vote of 4-0, the Board approved the request to remove the barricades currently in place on Sullivan Road.

other business

appointment to the elder council

On a motion by Commr. Parks, seconded by Commr. Campione, and carried by a vote of 4-0, the Board appointed Ms. Mary Lou Burdette-Wieloszynski to the Member At-Large position to serve a vacant seat with a term ending January 31, 2013.  The Board left the Commission District 5 position open because there were no applicants.

Commr. Campione opined that they had very good applicants and appreciated all of them taking the time to apply, but Ms. Burdette-Wieloszynski had expertise in that area, with a passion for elder care and was a great appointee.

appointments to the children’s services counsel

On a motion by Commr. Conner, seconded by Commr. Campione, and carried by a vote of 4-0, the Board approved the reappointments of Ms. Kendra Akers (District 1), Ms. Barbara Howell (District 2), Ms. Linda Lewis (District 3), Mr. Michael K. Matulia (District 4), Ms. Sandra Stura (District 5) and Ms. Trella Mott (At-Large position) to serve two-year terms beginning May 15, 2011.

Commr. Conner asked to postpone the appointment of the second At-Large position until the May 17, 2011 meeting.

REPORTS – COUNTY ATTORNEY

request for closed session

Mr. Minkoff requested a closed session on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 11:00 a.m.

On a motion by Commr. Conner, seconded by Commr. Parks, and carried by a vote of 4-0, the Board approved the request for a closed session.

REPORTS – COMMISSIONER HILL – CHAIRMAN AND DISTRICT 1

national tourism week

On a motion by Commr. Conner, seconded by Commr. Parks, and carried by a vote of 4-0, the Board approved and authorized Proclamation No. 2011-65 designating May 7 – May 15, 2011 as National Tourism Week.

Commr. Hill read the proclamation in its entirety and stated that Commr. Cadwell would present it at a later date.

law enforcement memorial ceremony

Commr. Hill reported that there would be a law enforcement memorial ceremony, led by the Sheriff’s Department, at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4, 2011 in front of the Historic Courthouse and invited everyone to attend.

joint education summit with the school board

Commr. Hill reminded the Board of the Joint Education Summit with the School Board on Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. in the Technical Dining Room at Lake Tech.

habitat for humanity house

Commr. Hill reported that she participated in the construction of a house for Habitat for Humanity in the Eustis area.

reports – commissioner parks – district 2

business incubator sites

Commr. Parks reported that he toured potential business incubator sites with some business leaders from South Lake last week and they would be presenting a business plan with pros and cons of each site to the cities and then to the Board.  He added that he appreciated the process, as it was in line with the Economic Action Plan of working directly with business leaders.

resolution for regional relationships

Commr. Parks presented a resolution that addressed Lake County’s role in developing and maintaining regional relationships within the Central Florida Region and added that he met with Commissioner Scott Boyd and Mayor Teresa Jacobs from Orange County last week regarding this.  He related that he wanted to approve this resolution and realized that it would need some discussion.

Commr. Campione commended Commr. Parks for taking this on and stated that the resolution referenced Clermont; however Minneola, Groveland and Mascotte might also be interested in having the opportunity to purchase reused water, and he should keep that in mind.

Commr. Hill stated the resolution was very comprehensive, but maybe it should include a statement about continuing on with mutual aid with the fire and police departments.

Commr. Parks commented that he would keep those in mind and stated that the big picture was that they were working with Orange County and were resolving to move forward to work out lingering issues.

The Board decided to postpone voting on the resolution until May 10, 2011.

reports – commissioner conner – district 3

law enformencement memorial ceremony

Commr. Conner reported that he wrote the Sheriff a letter stating that he would miss the law enforcement memorial ceremony on Wednesday, May 4, 2011 due to a conflict.

national day of prayer

Commr. Conner informed the Board that on Thursday, May 5, 2011 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. there would be a celebration of the National Day of Prayer in front of the Historic Courthouse.

REPORTS – COMMISsIONER campione – DISTRICT 4

national flight academy program

Commr. Campione stated that several months ago she had attended a convention that showed a National Flight Academy classroom and noted that those classrooms had been set up in schools where students were not performing well in math and science, and it used a simulation of actually being in a flight environment.  She added that the classes seemed to be very effective, and she knew of two schools in Central Florida that had put one of those classrooms in.  She stated that she would like to receive more information on those classrooms and would like to bring it up at the joint meeting with the School Board because it could be a joint effort between the County and the School Board to facilitate putting one of those classrooms in a Lake County school.  She related that it would be a logical fit for Leesburg because of the airport and Tavares because of the seaplanes or it could be directed at a school that had low math and science test scores.

Commr. Parks commented that he had seen this before, knew the results were very good, and would definitely support that program.

south lake incubator

Commr. Campione stated that she had heard from some business leaders in South Lake that they were putting together a presentation about the incubator to take to various sites and added that she would like to create an announcement noting that they were trying to create a business incubator in South Lake and would like to see how many would be interested in participating.  She related that so many people commute to the Orlando area incubator because there was not one in South Lake, and by doing this, the County could possibly get those key businesses involved.  She mentioned that the County Manager and the Economic Development staff could put together the announcement and possibly advertise on the County’s website and in the newspaper.  She noted that they could even partner with UCF to use their expertise to screen the applicants to find the best businesses for the incubator.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business to be brought to the attention of the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 12:02 p.m.

 

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JENNIFER hill, chairman

 

 

 

ATTEST:

 

 

 

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NEIL KELLY, CLERK